Automatic Pitch Correction effect

The Automatic Pitch Correction effect is available in both the Waveform and Multitrack editors. In the latter, its parameters can be automated over time using keyframes and external control surfaces.

Choose Effects > Time and Pitch > Automatic Pitch Correction, and set the following options:

Scale

Specifies the scale type that best suits the material: Major, Minor, or Chromatic. Major or Minor correct notes to the specific key of the music. Chromatic corrects to the nearest note regardless of key.

Key

Sets the intended key for corrected material. This option is available only if Scale is set to Major or Minor (because the Chromatic scale includes all 12 tones and isn’t key‑specific).

The combination of scale and key determines the key signature.

Attack

Controls how quickly Adobe Audition corrects the pitch toward the scale tone. Faster settings are usually best for notes of short duration, such as a fast, staccato passage. An extremely fast attack can achieve a robotic quality, however. Slower settings result in more natural‑sounding correction on longer sustaining notes, such as a vocal line where the singer holds notes and adds vibrato. Because source material can change throughout a musical performance, you can get the best results by separately correcting short musical phrases.

Sensitivity

Defines the threshold beyond which notes aren’t corrected. Sensitivity is measured in cents, and there are 100 cents per semitone. For example, a Sensitivity value of 50 cents means a note must be within 50 cents (half a semitone) of the target scale tone before it is corrected automatically.

Reference Channel

Choose a source channel in which pitch changes are most clear. The effect analyzes only the channel you choose, but applies the pitch correction equally to all channels.

FFT Size

Sets the Fast Fourier Transform size of each pieces of data that the effect processes. In general, use smaller values for correcting higher frequencies. For voices, a setting of 2048 or 4096 sounds most natural. For short, staccato notes or percussive audio try a setting of 1024.

Calibration

Specifies the tuning standard for the source audio. In Western music, the standard is A4 at 440 Hz. Source audio, however, may have been recorded using a different standard, so you can specify A4 values from 410 to 470 Hz.

Correction meter

When you preview audio, displays the amount of correction for flat and sharp tones.

Manual Pitch Correction effect

The Manual Pitch Correction effect lets you visually adjust pitch with the Spectral Pitch Display. The Spectral Pitch Display shows the fundamental pitch as a bright blue line, and overtones in yellow to red hues. Corrected pitch appears as a bright green line.

You can visually monitor pitch at any time, without using the Manual Pitch Correction effect. Simply click the Spectral Pitch Display icon <<ICON>> in the options bar. To customize resolution, decibel range, and gridlines, adjust Pitch Display settings in the Spectral Displays preferences.

Choose Effects > Time and Pitch > Manual Pitch Correction.

In the Manual Pitch Correction window, set the following options:

Reference Channel

Choose a source channel in which pitch changes are most clear. The effect analyzes only the channel you choose, but applies the pitch correction equally to all channels.

Spline Curves

Create smoother transitions when using envelope keyframes to apply different pitch correction over time.

Pitch Curve Resolution

Sets the Fast Fourier Transform size of each piece of data that the effect processes. In general, use smaller values for correcting higher frequencies. For voices, a setting of 2048 or 4096 sounds most natural, and a setting of 1024 creates robotic effects.

To change pitch over time, add keyframes to the yellow envelope line in the center of the waveform display.

To zoom in on specific pitch ranges, right-click and drag in the vertical ruler to the right of the Spectral Pitch Display. To reset the zoom level or customize the displayed scale, right-click the ruler and select options from the pop-up menu.

Pitch bender effect

Use the Pitch Bender effect to change the tempo over time to vary the pitch. The effect now uses a keyframe edit envelope laid across the entire waveform, similar to the Fade and Gain Envelope effects.

Choose Effects > Time and Pitch > Pitch Bender, and set the following options:

Pitch

In the Editor panel, click the blue envelope line to add keyframes, and drag them up or down to change amplitude. To quickly select, reposition, or delete multiple keyframes, see Adjust automation with keyframes.

Select the Spline Curves option to create smoother, curved transitions between keyframes, rather than linear transitions. See About spline curves for graphs.

Quality

Controls the quality level. Higher quality levels produce the best sound, but they take longer to process. Lower quality levels produce more unwanted harmonic distortion, but they take less time to process. Usually, you won’t notice harmonic distortion for levels from Very Good and higher. Aliasing still occurs, however, when you shift the pitch up, but the higher quality levels greatly reduce the distortion when you shift the pitch down.

Range

Sets the scale of the vertical ruler (y-axis) as semitones (there are 12 semitones to an octave) or as beats per minute. For a range in semitones, the pitch changes logarithmically, and you can specify the number of semitones to shift up or down. For a range in beats per minute, the pitch changes linearly, and you must specify both a range and a base tempo. You can specify the exact tempo of a selection to change to different rates, but this isn’t required.

Pitch shifter

The Pitch Shifter effect changes the musical pitch. It's a real-time effect which can be combined with other effects in the mastering rack or the effects rack. In the Multitrack View, you can also vary pitch over time by using automation lanes.

Choose Effects > Time and Pitch > Pitch Shifter effect, and set the following options:

Pitch Transpose

Contains options that adjust pitch:

Semi-Tones Transposes pitch in semi-tone increments, which equalmusical half-notes (for example, the note C# is one semi-tone higher than C). A setting of 0 reflects the original pitch; +12 semi-tones is an octave higher; -12 semi-tones is an octave lower.

Determines sound quality, with theHigh setting taking longest to process. Use the Low setting for 8-bit or low-quality audio, and use the High setting for professionally recorded audio.

To quickly determine which Precision setting to use, process a small selected range at each setting until you find the best balance of quality and processing time.

Pitch Settings

Control how audio is processed:

Splicing Frequency Determines the size of each chunk of audio data. (The Pitch Shifter effect divides audio into very small chunks for processing.) The higher the value, the more precise the placement of stretched audio over time. However, artifacts become more noticeable as values go up. At higher Precision settings, a lower Splicing Frequency may add stutter or echo. If the frequency is too high, sound becomes tinny and voices have a tunnel-like quality.

Overlapping Determines how much each chunk of audio data overlaps with the previous and next ones. If stretching produces a chorus effect, lower the Overlapping percentage. If doing so produces a choppy sound, adjust the percentage to strike a balance between choppiness and chorusing. Values range from 0 to 50%.

Use Appropriate Default Settings Applies good default values for Splicing Frequency and Overlapping.

Stretch and Pitch effect (Waveform
Editor only)

The Time And Pitch > Stretch And
Pitch effect lets you change the pitch of an audio signal, the tempo,
or both. For example, you can use the effect to transpose a song
to a higher key without changing the tempo, or you can use it to
slow down a spoken passage without changing the pitch.

Note:

This effect requires offline processing. While it is open,
you cannot edit the waveform, adjust selections, or move the current-time
indicator.

Determines how big each chunk of audio data is when you preserve
pitch or tempo while stretching a waveform. The higher the value,
the more precise the placement of stretched audio over time. However,
artifacts are more noticeable as rates go up; sound can become tinny
or have a tunnel‑like quality. With higher Precision settings, lower
splicing frequencies may add stutter or echo.

Overlapping

Determines how much each chunk of audio data overlaps with the
previous and next ones. If stretching produces a chorus effect,
lower the Overlapping percentage, without going so low that you
produce a choppy sound. Overlapping can be as high as 400%, but
you should use this value only for very high speed increases (200%
or more).

Choose Appropriate Defaults

Applies good default values for Splicing Frequency and Overlapping.
This option is good for preserving pitch or tempo.

Constant Vowels

Preserves the sound of vowels in stretched vocals. This option requires
substantial processing; try it on a small selection before applying
it to a larger one.